Segments in this Video

Risk, Exposure, Health: The Habitable Planet: Introduction(01:13)

Howard Hu and his team discovered environmental dangers in a Midwest town as a result of 60 years of mining. In New York, Robin Whyatt researches the effects of common household chemicals.

Hazardous Chat(02:51)

Picher, Oklahoma, has several chat piles as a result of mining for lead and zinc ore; city streets and fillers between houses also contain chat. Residents discuss contamination; tests revealed high levels of lead in the teeth of children.

Exposure to Heavy Metals (02:51)

In the human body, lead has the ability to mimic calcium; it can have long-term effects on brain development in children. Prof. Howard Hu and his team research the health effects of mixtures of metals.

Contaminated Dust(03:41)

Researchers monitor air and take dust and water samples throughout Picher, Oklahoma. They compare results to metal exposure levels in blood of study volunteers. Experts discuss initial results and the goal of understanding long-term effects of metal exposure.

Tar Creek Contamination Study(04:34)

Dr. James Shine discusses rainwater filtration through chat piles and contaminated ground water from abandoned mines. He and Dr. Laurel Schaider take samples from the creek. Initial results reveal the complexity of the study. Hu hopes the study will benefit mining communities around the world.

Common Exposures(02:26)

Prof. Robin Whyatt studies exposure to pesticides in New York's inner city and possible health effects in fetal development. She explains four research questions.

Human Population Studies (01:57)

Inner City Pesticide Exposure Study(04:11)

Whyatt and her team use air monitoring, detailed questionnaires, neurodevelopment tests, and blood tests in the mother/child study. Compare pictures drawn by children who have been exposed to pesticides to pictures drawn by children who have not.

Insecticides and Air Pollutants(03:03)

Test results reveal a connection between pesticide exposure and development. Perera discusses similar results in a study conducted in Krakow, Poland and China. Whyatt reflects on the benefits of the studies.

Description

We all require food, air, and water to survive — which are contaminated to some extent by man-made pollutants. Two studies, one in a rural western mining town and another in a dense urban population, reveal how these exposures impact health, and what can be done to reduce the risks.